Jury Finds Two Men Guilty of Double Murder on the Colville Reservation

Press Release

Spokane, Washington - United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced that a jury returned a verdict today in the trial of Zachary L. Holt, age 24, and Dezmonique D. Tenzsley (a/k/a "Privilege"), age 35. Holt and Tenzsley were found guilty on all seventeen counts presented at trial, including Felony Murder in Indian Country, Attempted Murder of a Federal Officer, Assault of a Federal Officer, Attempted Robbery in Indian Country, Robbery Affecting Commerce, as well as several firearm offenses. Holt also was convicted of First-Degree Murder in Indian Country and Murder Resulting from Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Holt and Tenzsley went on a six-week crime spree that began in September 2022 in Northern Idaho and continued until the Defendants' arrests in Eastern Washington on October 21, 2022. Over these six weeks, Defendants Holt and Tenzsley committed home invasions as well as a robbery in Northern Idaho, and then took their firearms and much of the stolen property into Eastern Washington, where they shot and killed Gale and Jeremy Neal at about 4:21 p.m. on October 21, 2022, in Keller, Washington. Gale and Jeremy Neal were shot twice inside their trailer during a failed robbery. Eyewitnesses described three armed men wearing masks, who arrived at the trailer in a red sedan. Surveillance video presented at trial showed the red sedan arrive at about 4:19 p.m. and depart two minutes and ten seconds later, at 4:21 p.m., just moments after the murder.

Approximately 30 minutes before the murders, Holt and Tenzsley were driving on a dirt road in the Keller area. Holt, who was speeding, swerved to miss a school bus, causing Holt's vehicle to roll over into a ditch. Minutes later, Holt's brother, Curry Pinkham, pulled up to give both Holt and Tenzsley a ride. Just before getting into Pinkham's car, Holt and Tenzsley moved several firearms - including the murder weapon - and thousands rounds of ammunition out of the crashed car and into the red sedan - a 2007 Toyota Camry.

Testimony at trial established that Holt was upset about wrecking his car and demanded that Pinkham take them to a location where they could get more drugs and find someone to rob. Pinkham agreed to drive Holt to the home of a known drug dealer in the Keller area.

When Holt, Tenzsley, and Pinkham arrived at the residence of the known drug dealer, Holt and Tenzsley put on rubber gloves and masks. Holt, Tenzsley and Pinkham then grabbed firearms out of the red sedan. Rather than go to the main residence, where the purported drug dealer lived, Holt and Tenzsley walked to the back of the property, where Gale Neal's trailer was located. As Holt and Tenzsley approached, Jeremy Neal came to the door of the trailer. Holt immediately began demanding Neal's money and property. Moments later, Holt fired two shots, killing Jeremy Neal. Holt then turned to Gale Neal, who leaned back into the couch in fear, and fired two more shots, killing Gale. Throughout, Tenzsley was standing guard, armed with a shotgun and his face covered by a mask.

After the robbery and murder, and while law enforcement was responding to the scene, Tenzsley, Holt, and Pinkham drove towards Nespelem, Washington. As Pinkham was driving the getaway car, Holt fired several additional shots - this time at law enforcement, who was attempting stop the red Camry. During the chase, a Colville Tribal Police Sergeant, who was cross-deputized as a federal officer, was hit in the forearm. Several additional bullets hit the Sergeant's patrol vehicle. After shooting the first officer, Holt opened fire at a second Colville Tribal Police Officer, who also had attempted to stop the red sedan. Evidence at trial established that Tenzsley reloaded firearm magazines as Holt continued to fire at law enforcement to evade apprehension after murdering the Neals.

When Holt, Tenzsley, and Pinkham later arrived in the Nespelem area, the three men tried to hide the getaway car under a tarp and fled on foot. They also hid their firearms and ammunition throughout the Nespelem area. When Holt and Tenzsley finally were apprehended the next day, Tenzsley gave a false name. Holt got into fist fight with a concerned citizen, who had called the police just prior to Holt's arrest.

During the investigation into the murders of Jeremy and Gale Neal, Tribal and federal law enforcement identified a series of other crimes that Holt and Tenzsley committed as part of their six-week crime spree and conspiracy. On September 3, 2022, Holt and Tenzsley robbed and severely assaulted a man at gunpoint inside his trailer in Latah County, Idaho. The pair stole ammunition, gun parts, the victim's car keys, and a safe containing the title to the victim's camper trailer. As Holt and Tenzsley were fleeing the robbery scene, they exchanged fire with the robbery victim.

Additional evidence established that on October 12, 2022, Holt and Tenzsley, who again were both armed, invaded two homes and assaulted multiple victims on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho. The evidence at trial showed that Holt and Tenzsley were again looking for someone to rob when they committed these assaults. During the second home invasion that evening, Holt and Tenzsley shot a dog in the face on the Nez Perce Reservation. Fortunately, the dog survived the gunshot.

In the days immediately after the Lapwai assaults, Holt and Tenzsley traveled to Keller, Washington - leading to the tragic deaths of Gale and Jeremy Neal, as well as the attempted murder of one federal officer and the assault of another. The firearm used in the shooting on the Nez Perce Reservation was the same gun Holt and Tenzsley used during the Neal murders, as well as the attempted murder and assault of the two federal officers.

United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice presided over the trial for Holt and Tenzsley, which began November 18, 2024. Sentencing in this matter is set for February 6, 2025, in Spokane, Washington.

"The victims in this case, Gale and Jeremy Neal, were senselessly and brutally murdered by two men on a violent crime spree. Nothing can ever replace what the Neals' family and loved ones have lost. My office is deeply committed to promoting public safety on Native American Reservations and addressing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, and this verdict demonstrates that those who commit violence on Tribal lands will be held accountable," stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. "I am grateful for the attorneys in my office, especially First Assistant United States Attorney Richard Barker and Assistant United States Attorney Michael Ellis who led this significant prosecution, as well as the investigators and agents who worked tirelessly for countless hours to bring justice for the victims in this case."

"As much as any case I have prosecuted, this one demonstrates the incredible tragedy of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Crisis," stated First Assistant United States Attorney Richard Barker, who led the prosecution team for this case. "Our hearts go out to the Neal Family, whose loved ones were taken away from them far too soon. Unfortunately, violence on our Native American Reservations occurs far too often and has resulted in generational trauma that continues to this day. While the United States absolutely will continue to prosecute these cases and take whatever steps to hold accountable those who perpetrate such terrible violence, we cannot fully address the trauma of so many through prosecution alone. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington is committed to working with Native American communities to organize listening sessions, outreach events, and doing more to ensure victims and their families are heard. We are so grateful for the many witnesses who came forward in this case to ensure those responsible for Gale and Jeremy Neals' murders were held accountable. We also cannot understate the exceptional law enforcement response, especially by the officers who put their lives on the line to capture the Neals' murderers."

"At the heart of our prosecutions is the stories and lives of the victims of crime," stated Assistant United States Attorney Michael Ellis. "I am very grateful that we were able to amplify the story of the Neal family and bring justice to those who caused such harm and devastation to the Colville Indian Reservation."

"These murders were frightening and tragic events that impacted many people in our community. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased, who I know still grieve today. There is now some comfort in knowing that those who committed these acts of violence have been convicted of serious federal felony offenses," said the Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Jarred-Michael Erickson. "I want to thank all of the law enforcement officials and agencies who participated in this investigation and in the apprehension of these dangerous criminals, and especially the Colville Tribal Police, who nearly lost one of their own officers when he was shot during this encounter. I also want to thank U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref and the prosecutors in the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Washington for their diligent prosecution of this case. I want to thank the jurors who heard the evidence and returned the verdicts they believed fit the interest of justice. Finally, I want to thank our community on the Reservation, who supported each other and law enforcement as these events unfolded. As dark a chapter as this was for the Colville Reservation, it is heartening to see how many people from different communities and agencies stand together to help each other in a time of crisis."

"Getting these two violent offenders off the streets makes the communities they terrorized safer." said Gregory L. Austin, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Seattle field office. "Their crimes ranged from robbery to murder and included shooting at law enforcement in an effort to avoid arrest. Reducing violent crime on our state's Reservations remains a priority for the FBI and our local, state, and federal partners."

This case was investigated by the Colville Tribal Police Department, the FBI, the FBI's Salish Safe Trails Task Force, Latah County Sherif's Office, Nez Perce Tribal Police Department, Idaho State Patrol, Spokane Tribal Police Department, Kalispel Tribal Police Department, Grant County Sheriff's Office, Okanogan Sheriff's Office, Ephrata Police Department, Soap Lake Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, the ATF, the United States Marshals Service, and the Washington State Patrol. The case was prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Barker and Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Ellis. Echo D. Fatsis, a contract Law Clerk with the United States Attorney's Office, provided critical support during the trial.

Updated November 25, 2024